New Delhi, Dec 8 ( LatestNewsX ) – On Monday, Delhi’s Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta warned that many departments were submitting incomplete or informal responses to audit observations, a trend that is stalling audit follow‑ups and keeping the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) from executing its duties in a timely way.
The remarks came during a briefing with senior officials aimed at reviewing how the Comptroller and Auditor General’s reports were being acted upon, as the Assembly gears up for its Winter Session, expected to open in the last third of this month.
Speaker Gupta praised the implementation of the “Audit Para Monitoring System” (APMS) as a milestone for greater transparency, discipline, and a more accountable audit‑tracking framework.
He added, “The APMS is now fully operational within the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Delhi is arguably the first State Assembly in the country to implement such a comprehensive real‑time audit monitoring portal.”
The session delved into the obstacles that continue to impede audit follow‑ups, noting that numerous departmental uploads failed to meet the prescribed format, which prevented them from being considered by the PAC.
When reviewing the portal’s status, Gupta pointed out that 142 audit paragraphs had been entered by various departments, yet only 30 Action‑Taken Notes had been formally submitted – an unacceptable lag that undermines the PAC’s effectiveness.
He urged that incomplete or informal replies must not be accepted as valid Action‑Taken Notes and must be returned for correction.
To address the gaps, the Speaker ordered all departments to submit fully corrected and properly formatted Action‑Taken Notes within three weeks.
He further instructed the Assembly Secretariat to distribute standardized guidelines that detail the required format, the signing authority, and the method for addressing each audit comment.
Gupta announced plans for a comprehensive demonstration of APMS to ensure that everyone who accesses the portal is thoroughly familiar with its features, thereby speeding up their work.
He stressed that rigorous training, strict adherence to the prescribed format, and prompt responses to audit comments are essential for the PAC to carry out its mandate efficiently.
The meeting was attended by Ajay Mahawar, Chairman of the Committee on Public Accounts; Gajender Drall, Chairperson of the Committee on Government Undertakings; Aman Deep Chatha, Accountant General of the Audit Office of India; Shurbir Singh, Secretary of Finance for the Government of NCT of Delhi; senior Finance Department officers; and officials from the Directorate of Audit.
A detailed presentation showcased how APMS logs every stage of an audit paragraph: capturing audit observations, identifying deficiencies, recording comments, tracking departmental replies, marking delays, and providing full real‑time visibility into pendency and compliance.
Developed by the Ministry of Finance Expenditure Department and conceived by the Controller General of Accounts in line with PAC guidelines, the system offers end‑to‑end monitoring of audit paragraphs, Action‑Taken Notes, and Action‑Taken Replies. It displays the original audit observation, the identified shortcomings, the sequential comments, the departmental responses, and whether replies are accepted or returned, along with the statutory timelines for finalisation.
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